Last Chance, A Struggle, True Love, In Trouble
by Arianna Elly Vesle
Summary: Can a marriage last for an unhappy couple? Do they even want it do? But sometimes appearences can be deceiving. What's really going on here?


Last Chance/A Struggle/True Love/In Trouble  
  
By Arianna (Elly) Vesle  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½. If I had the money, I would buy it and make a movie out of Volume 38. But I don't. So I can't.  
  
A young couple sat in two chairs in the waiting area of the city hall's north wing. Hardly more than children, really, the two sat with downcast eyes. The boy brushed a strand of dark hair back from his face. It fell promptly back into place as he lifted his head and looked around the room. His brow was furrowed in unhappy thought. The pretty girl sitting next to him stared down at her hands folded in her lap, and the papers carefully tucked beneath them. The boy glanced over at her silently.  
  
'That's a pretty dress she's wearing. . .' he thought idly. "I always thought of her as boyish, but in that dress. . . ." Then he frowned, shaking his head. 'You fool! Why am I thinking things like that . . . and now of all times! I have to do this! I have to!'  
  
The girl looked over at him, her eyes troubled. 'He looks so miserable . . . I wonder if, maybe . . .' she suddenly shook her head fiercely. 'No--no! We've been over this a hundred times! This is just the way it has to be -- it's the only way we'll ever be happy again!'  
  
Just then, a young clerk walked into the room, holding a stack of paperwork with a coffee mug balanced on top. A pair of spectacles rested on her nose, and her hair was done up in a bun, although several tendrils of hair had come loose and fell across her neck. She looked up at the couple in surprise as she entered.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry! Have you been waiting long?" She let the pile of papers fall with a thud onto the large, rather cluttered desk across the room, and lunged for her coffee cup before it spilled all over everything.  
  
The girl took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Uh . . . no, not long." She stood, not able to look at him- - not now. They both walked over as the clerk took her position behind the desk. The girl held up a document and slid it across the desk. Her eyes met his briefly, but she looked away again. 'I can do this. We talked about it. We agreed!' She cleared her throat nervously, but he spoke up before she could. "We're here to have our marriage annulled," he said, voice cracking just a little.  
  
"O-h-h, really?" The clerk looked up with a sad tone in her voice. "That's too bad." She sighed, taking the papers offered her. "What a shame."  
  
"Well, I don't mean to be rude, but it really isn't any of your business."  
  
"Oh, yes, ma'am, and excuse me. I didn't mean any offense. Well, I should have everything you need done soon. When would you like to come back?"  
  
They looked at each other. "Um . . . I don't suppose you could do it now?"  
  
"Right now?" The clerk looked surprised. They both nodded. The clerk shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if you insist. It'll be a few minutes." Since she didn't ask them to take a seat, they didn't and instead stood waiting for her to finish the job. They didn't look at each other. The clerk opened a large file drawer and began searching through it. "Oh, this drawer is such a disaster. It always takes me ages to find anything in here!" She smiled apologetically. The couple nodded, silently. "By the way, I must say, that's a lovely dress you're wearing Mrs. . . uh . . . Saotome." She glanced down at the papers in her hand, then back up, smiling politely.   
  
He looked at her dress again. Now she did too, unconsciously tugging on her skirt. "Oh, thank you," she said distractedly.  
  
"Aah! Here's the file I need! Now I just need to verify your information and enter it into the computer for the records database." The clerk sat down and laid the papers on the desk next to her keyboard where she could read the information off them. She typed in a few commands and then swivelled in her chair. "Now, you're Mr. and Mrs. Ranma Saotome?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ages eighteen?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You're still residing at - - " she pointed, "--This address and phone number?"  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Okay. . .and, how long have you been married?"  
  
The couple looked at each other, a little uncomfortably. "A . . . a-about two months," he said finally.  
  
"Oh, that's all?!" the clerk burst out before she could stop herself. She blushed then, putting a hand over her mouth. "Oh. . . I'm terribly sorry. Please excuse me. I'm new here and I haven't gotten used to doing my job without thinking about it. Oh, I'm so terribly sorry you couldn't work things out, though." She sighed again, going back to her typing, still talking distractedly. "I just hate to see two people once in love torn apart." She sighed. "Well, I'll have to go verify the authenticity of your marriage certificate when I'm finished here. Then I can give you your . . . ma'am?" The clerk blinked at her.   
  
"Two people . . . in love . . ." she murmured, frowning. But he shook her head.  
  
"No! It's not like that. It's hard to explain - - but it's not like that. It can't be!"  
  
"But what if it is?" He turned to stare at her. She looked back, her face full of pain. "Wait! Stop! I . . . I changed my mind! I don't want to do this!"  
  
The clerk froze, hands in mid keystroke.  
  
The boy gasped, turning his head to stare at her. "What are you doing? I thought we agreed to do this! Don't you ever want to be HAPPY again?!"  
  
"I know we agreed, but . . . I just can't! It isn't right. It's all true!"  
  
"But - -"  
  
"You heard what she said! Two people who love each other should be together, R- -"  
  
"No, don't!" He took her hands tightly. "Don't say anything. Do you think this is easy for me?! My life has been a living hell! But if we do this, we can start over!"   
  
She looked away; her eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "No, it's too late for that. You know it is. Please. You know that this is wrong. We're making a big mistake here!"  
  
"Why are you doing this? This is the only way!"  
  
"No, it isn't! Listen to me!" She grabbed him by the shirt. "Two people who love each other so much can't be torn apart! We can try whatever we want, but you know as well as I do that it won't make any difference!"  
  
"No. No, that's not true. It can't be true!"  
  
"You know it is." Her head was bowed. The clerk, completely breathless and forgotten, watched this drama unfold, afraid to make a sound.  
  
Now she bit her lip hard; she wouldn't cry. He frowned. "I thought this was what you wanted! I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't agreed, you know."  
  
She nodded slowly. "I know. But it's too late." She looked up at him. "You know it is." He lowered his head. She turned back to the clerk. "Um . . . I believe we've changed our minds. May we have our papers back?"  
  
The clerk nodded wordlessly, handing them over the counter. She watched the couple go, open-mouthed. Eventually she shook herself and went about deleting the data she had just entered, a slow smile crossing her face.  
  
Outside, the girl sighed. "I can't believe we went through all that just to back out at the last second." She looked up at the boy. "Are you angry?"  
  
"Yes. But I guess you're right. We may not like it, but . . . well what choice do we have? This really wasn't a very good idea in the first place, I guess," he sounded defeated but also strangely . . . relieved. After a moment, he looked up and gave her a weak smile. "Well . . . thanks for . . . for everything, Ukyo."  
  
Ukyo sighed, giving him a weak smile. "Yeah. Any time, Sugar. Are - - are you ok?"  
  
"I'll always love her, you know." He looked at her, his gaze somewhat sad. "I'll always love Akane."  
  
Ukyo chuckled a little. "Don't sound so tragic. You'll get over her eventually." Ukyo suddenly became pensive herself. He noticed. Without saying anything, he reached out and touched her shoulder. She let him. And they stood together, in silence. Just - - thinking about love.  
  
The End.  
  
Just Kidding.  
  
As the first couple stood on the sidewalk, silently dealing with their mixed emotions, four more eyes were watching from the bushes. They watched until the two on the street had come out of their daze, smiled a little, and walked off together before emerging from the shadows.  
  
"I'm so glad that's all over!" she said, putting her hands on her hips. He sighed deeply.   
  
"Yeah, me too. Geez - - of all the stupid ideas! Pretending to be you an' me to get our marriage annulled behind our backs-- gimme a break. I knew it was never gonna work."  
  
"Oh, really?" she shot back. "Seems to me, you were kinda worried about the whole thing."   
  
"I was not! You know I never would have let them get away with a dirty trick like that! Especially considering that the marriage license they had was a phony, anyway."  
  
"Oh, like that was your idea!"  
  
"What's THAT supposed to mean?!"  
  
"Oh, nothing." She put her arms behind her back innocently. "I'm just glad they decided to back out. I can't believe they tried to impersonate us!"  
  
"Heh. They would have been in trouble when they got caught. And they WERE going to get caught." He cracked his knuckles as she rolled her eyes. "Anyway," he continued, "we're safe for today. And I don't think either Ukyo OR Ryoga will be giving us much trouble again, considering what I heard. I still oughta give him a good pounding, though."  
  
"Then wouldn't you have to pound Ukyo, too?"  
  
"Oh. Well - - never mind, then, I guess they didn't really DO anything, in the end." He looked down at her. "This is all because of YOU, ya know, what a pain in the butt! You're not even worth it!"  
  
Her face turned red. "WHAT did you say to me?!"  
  
"You heard me!"  
  
"Ranma, you JERK!"  
  
"OW! GEEZ, Akane, is that any way to treat your - - OW!"  
  
"My what?! 'Beloved' husband, I supposed? Give me a break! You're still as big a jerk as ever!"  
  
"OW! Cut it out! Why do I even BOTHER goin' to all this trouble for an ungrateful, macho tomboy like you!?"  
  
Her eyes darkened. He gulped. 'Me and my big mouth!'  
  
"You big JERK!" She swung; he ducked.  
  
"Akane! Hey, c'mon! Why do you think I spent all stupid week sneaking around to spoil Ryoga and Ukyo's plans, huh?! I could have just let 'em get away with it if I didn't - - " he stopped. She put her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows expectantly.   
  
"Well?" He gulped.  
  
"If I didn't. . . well. . . aw, y'know, love ya and stuff!"  
  
There was a long pause.  
  
Then she punched him in the gut -- hard.  
  
As he gasped for air, she folded her arms across her chest. "You had that coming, Ranma, calling me names like that," she said, frowning.   
  
"Well, it was obviously all true!" Ranma wheezed. Akane stuck her tongue out at him. But then, as sudden as her punch had been, a smile brightened her face. "But I love you, too, even if you are a jerk sometimes. And I wouldn't trade you for Ryoga, even if he's nicer to me than you are."  
  
"Hey- - !" Ranma protested, but Akane cut him off.  
  
"- - But, after all, I supposed we can't call off our marriage after all that work, now, can we?" Ranma started to say something, but then stopped - - and slowly shook his head. He was learning. Slowly but surely, Ranma was learning.  
  
Akane kissed his cheek. She drew away with the cute smile on her face that always made Ranma's heart beat a little faster. "Let's go home now, okay?" She put her hand in his.  
  
He grinned. "Yeah. I'm gettin' hungry; it must be almost suppertime."  
  
They left, hand in hand, and the street was quiet and empty once more.  
  
The End. For real this time.  
  
Authors' Notes: I wrote this little story a very, VERY long time ago as a kind of gag fic - - the whole point being to confuse my gentle reader until the end of the story, when the truth was revealed. But when I dusted it off and rewrote it, the second part ended up being almost as long as the first. *Sweatdrop* Oh, well. Oh, and by the way; I'm kinda a supporter of Ryoga and Akari, myself, but, since she doesn't even EXIST in the anime, I kinda like Ryoga and Ukyo, too, so ... that's one of the few couples I'm not firm on. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this ultra-short fic. Please review it for me, ok? ^.^ 


End file.
